It was a night of firsts at Lehighton.

Both for the Indians’ field and the Indian players.In the first game ever at the school’s new stadium Friday evening, many first-time starters had the chance to step up.And none performed any bigger than Cody Scherer.The junior signal-caller, in his first-ever start behind center, threw for a record 315 yards and three touchdowns to rally his team to a thrilling 34-30 non-league victory over Fleetwood.“We had a lot of first starts, a lot of first action for guys tonight, a lot of first situations where they were the go-to guy,” said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll, whose team trailed by 10 points early in the fourth quarter. “It’s hard to simulate that until you’re in game situations. It was just one of those deals where a lot of kids grew up tonight and found out a bit about themselves.“Cody is a first-year starter at quarterback. And the reality of it is when you’re taking the snaps, and the balls in your hands every single play, it’s a different kind of pressure ... He’s very coachable. He didn’t seem too rattled even when he made some mistakes. He didn’t put his head down. What a great effort. What a gutty performance. And you can say that about a lot of our kids tonight.”After the Tigers’ Brad Hook booted a 25-yard field goal 12 seconds into the final frame, Lehighton faced a 30-20 deficit.But Scherer directed an impressive 55-yard march that resulted in a touchdown, pulling the Tribe within three points. During the drive, Scherer connected with four different receivers. The final strike was a 21-yard hook-up with Matt Strubinger on a fourth-and-14.On Fleetwood’s next possession, Colin Troxell came up with arguably the biggest play of the night.With the Lions facing a second-and-short, quarterback Trevor Koenig dropped back to pass. Lehighton’s Troxell got pressure and sacked Koening for an 11-yard loss.“We were loading up on the run and maybe he was trying to catch us off guard,” said McCarroll of his opponents’ decision to throw the ball. “We needed a defensive stop at some point, whether it was a sack, a loss or an interception. We had somebody make a play and it certainly turned momentum in our favor.”Did it ever.Lehighton got the ball back on its own 36 with 6:50 to play, and Scherer took charge again. He converted a fourth-down with a three-yard run, and found Nick Skrinkosky over the middle for a 20-yard completion. After he scrambled for an 11-yard gain, he spotted Skrinkosky again for an 18-yard touchdown toss to put the Indians ahead.“We were able to drive the ball tonight,” said Scherer. “Our line did a decent job, and Mike Mayernik is a great running back. It’s amazing to have all the receivers we have. Gavin (Zehner) is a veteran ... and it was great to see Nick Skrinkosky step up.“I’m just overwhelmed ... They went up by 10 points and we came all the way back. I’m just proud of all our guys.”The Indian defense sealed the win when Zehner intercepted a pass with 32 seconds left to play.“You’d love to script an opening night with a lot of excitement,” said McCarroll. “What great support there was from the community, and they saw quite a game. What a great start to a great facility.”FOUR IN A ROW ... The opening night win was the fourth straight for the Indians. Lehighton defeated Mahanoy Area the past two seasons, 40-6 and 47-12, and posted a 27-14 victory over Marian in the first game of the 2013 campaign.MANY TARGETS ... Scherer completed passes to five different receivers, two of which went over 100 yards. Zehner and Mayernik both finished with 103 yards, while Strubinger, Troxell and Tanner Haydt also caught passes.TROUBLE WITH THE RUN ... Lehighton’s defense struggled with Fleetwood’s big line and the Lions’ two running backs, who both went over 100 yards. Fleetwood had 16 rushing plays of seven-or-more yards.GOOD WAY TO START ... The Indians’ first play from scrimmage was a 62-yard pass from Scherer to Zehner that set up the game’s first score.